Dec. 28, 2006

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dustin Salisbery scored 26 points and Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale added 20 apiece as Temple handled Lafayette 96-73 on Thursday night. Lafayette senior Marcus Harley scored a career-high 23 points for the Leopards who had won five of their last six coming into the game.

The Owls set a Liacouras Center record for most points in the first half and took the lead for good at 14-12 on Dion Dacons' three-pointer at 13:46. Temple (6-4) headed into the break with a 50-37 lead behind 19 points from Salisbery and 13 from Christmas.

The Leopards (6-8) battled through the first half, trailing just 21-18 at 11:22 on one of Harley's five three-pointers in the game. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, the Bryn Mawr, Pa. native hit all four of his three-point attempts in the opening half. Temple then used an 18-4 run over the next five minutes to seize control of the game.

In the second half, the more athletic Temple squad pulled away and led by as many as 28 with six minutes left in the game for the 96-73 final. For the game, Temple went to the line 35 times, connecting on 28 attempts for an 80 percent night. Lafayette was 20-of-26 (77%) from the stripe. The Owls hit for 52 percent (29-for-56) as compared to Lafayette's 36 percent (22-of-62) from the floor for the game and out-rebounded the Leopards 44-31.

Lafayette returns to action on Saturday, traveling to San Diego State (10-3) for a 10 p.m. (ET) tip-off. The Leopards' game will be televised live on the Lafayette Sports Network.

NOTES:
WEST-AM broadcaster Dick Hammer, a 1957 Temple alumnus who began his broadcasting career as a student at Temple, was honored during the game. Hammer was inducted into the Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame in 2006.

Lafayette was without Jamaal Hilliard (foot) and Jesper Andersson (ankle) who missed the game due to injury.